AMERICAN MUSIC: THE VIOLENT FEMMES MAILING LIST
currently run by Pat. Wary
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TOUR DATES: (NEW DATES MARKED WITH A **)
Feb. 27-First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN (T,O,P)
THIS IS A 21 AND OVER SHOW ONLY
Feb. 28-8 p.m. Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Duluth, MN (O,P,T)
Mar. 1-Wayne State College, Wayne, NE (O)
Mar. 3-Marzz, Raleigh, NC (O) TENTATIVE
Mar. 4-Bohagers, Baltimore, MD, $20 (O,P)
Mar. 5-Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA (O) TENTATIVE
Mar. 6-Nightclub 9:30, Washington, DC, $20 (O,P)
Mar. 27 or 28-N. Michigan U., Marquette, MI (O) TENTATIVE
NOTA BENE: ‘O’ stands for the Official homepage
‘P’ stands for Pollstar
‘T’ stands for Ticketmaster
‘I’ stands for Insider Info
All other references are subscribers
To book a show, contact Monterey Peninsula Artists.
Serious inquiries only.
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The Quote Of The Day:
Just last night I was reminded of
just how bad it had gotten and
just how sick I had become.
-From Prove My Love
PLEASE send your VF quotes to
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WHO/WHERE
Going to a VF concert? Want to know if anyone
else on the list also going? Check here first!
Baltimore, MD
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Washington, DC
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ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO
ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO
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WEB PAGES:
Official: http://www.vfemmes.com
Unofficial: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/femmes.html
NEW ADDRESS: http://vf.scopemag.com
or try: http://206.103.163.50
Download the unofficial homepage:
http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/backup.zip
Guitar: http://www.bucknell.edu/~wtorres/violent_femmes
http://www.olga.net
TAB DIGEST:
The tab digest is give and take; remember to share what
you have.
Une banane
dans l’oreille: Send in your top five faves each week to:
They will periodically be
compiled and posted.
HERE I AM: write to me, , to add your name to this
list. Once it’s up and running, you can then write in
to find out who lives near you, or who lives in a town
you’ll be visiting.
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In Today’s Issue:
Auction Final
Bohager’s Info
930 Club Info Needed
RE: Homework Help
RE: Come South
Phantom Tribute Album
Max Dunn
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Auction Final
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The high bid was $190. I forgot to ask the high bidder if it was OK to
post his name, so I won’t post it.
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Bohager’s Info
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I’m going to the Bohagers show and am happy to inform y’all that age
doesn’t matter unless you want to buy drinks. does anybody have any idea
how to get to the 9:30 club from baltimore using public transportation?
Marjorie 😛
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930 Club Info Needed
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OK, here goes… this might be long and you’ll have to excuse my giddy
excitement at finally getting to see the Femmes play…
WOW! I can’t believe this is happening to me! Since the tender age of 12
or 13, I have loved the Femmes, and I made a vow that I would go to no
concert until I could see them. Well, it was easy keeping that vow since
my mom was always really strict and said I was never going to be allowed
to any concert… Anyway! Now I’m 19 and I got an email from a friend
saying “Hey, lets go to the 9:30 club and see the femmes!!” I can’t
believe I’m going… two general questions for anyone…. how do I get
tickets and should I be getting them now and is there danger of selling
out?! (I’m sure there is, I mean, it’s the femmes!!)
Secondly, to anyone who has been posting the “met the band at the tour bus
after the show” stories, I know this sounds ignorant, but I’ve never been
to any concert so bear with me… How did you go about doing that… is
there a special pass or can you do it if you find the bus or what?? I’m
dying to know, I am determined to meet them and not be a gushing idiot.
So, if anyone can help me I’d be most thankful!
-Jess
-Pat. Says: Check out the 930 homepage at http://www 930.com to find
out how to get tickets for this show. There’s lots of ways
to do it.
As far as selling out is concerned, that’s always something
to consider. Several shows have sold out recently. I’d
suggest you find a way to get your tickets ASAP.
Now, on to the tour bus. Just look for the bus before the
show to be sure you know where it is. If you can’t find it,
look for it after. They usually don’t leave right away, so
you should have time. You don’t need a pass, or anything
other than patience. The bus is usually near a back door.
Really, you can’t miss it. There’s always a group of people
who seem to know the door from which the band will exit.
Just look for the crowd after the show.
Now, as for behavior, they’re used to gushing, so don’t
worry about it. I must say that they do respond more
positively to those who are polite, so don’t be a screamer
or a pusher. Don’t knock on the doors to ask when they’ll
be out. I don’t mean to insult; of course you won’t do that,
but I’ve been to quite a few shows now, and I’ve seen all
that and more.
Lastly, go ahead and contact the people in the who/where.
That’s what they’re there for. Seems like a bunch of you are
going to this show, and Bohager’s too. You should arrange to
meet up, hopefully before the show. That way the veterans
can show you the ropes. I’m sure the VF would be pleased to
see a quorum of AM subscribers waiting for them after
the show.
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RE: Homework Help
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Pat: Here is my response to Stephanie’s interview. I don’t know if it is
appropriate for ROCK/AMERICAN MUSIC, but I wanted to share the
information and find out about others first experiences with the Femmes.
Steve Deisig, 23, live in Syracuse, NY, but I’m originally from Buffalo.
I originally heard the Femmes as an 8th grader while with my two best
friends outside a Friendly’s restaurant after a Junior High dance.
We all took turns listening to this silly song called Blister in the Sun
on a walkman. We couldn’t stop laughing over having a “blister in the
sun”.
After that night, I borrowed a copy of the original Femmes tape from a
classmate and wore it out listening to it for the rest of the school
year.
The group’s mix of teen angst and raw energy was perfectly apropos for
that stage of my life as a confused teenager.
From that first listening in ’88 to my graduation in ’92, the Femmes
gave voice to my unexpressed passion, rage, and loneliness.
Their music also served as a connecting point between my aforementioned
2 friends and myself, until the untimely passing of one of those friends
in ’91.
I still listen today because of the association I make between their
music and a wonderful time in my life. Although their music doesn’t
affect me like it once did, it still serves as a trigger for many fond
memories as well as a few sad ones.
My favorite song is “I Held Her in My Arms” because of its energetic
jazz beat combined with a message that I can relate to several past
relationships that were with the wrong person at the wrong time, while
the right person slipped away.
My favorite song while in high school was “Good Feeling” because I could
empathize with its stark, lonely message of longing and frustration.
I currently have no problems with the Femmes per se, but I also no
longer feel the immediacy in their music that I once did. My
“relationship” with the band has gone from Femmes Fanatic in the past to
collector in the present.
I still enjoy their concerts, but no recent ones have approached the
mind shattering intensity of the first Femmes concert I attended 6 years
ago. I also noticed at the 2 concerts I attended in the past year that
I’m the only one with thinning hair!
As for changes that I’ve seen over the years, they mostly deal with the
expanding scope of the band’s musical interests and abilities (ignoring
the change from Victor to Guy). Although I enjoy their newer releases,
my favorite albums are still Violent Femmes, The Blind Leading the
Naked, and American Music.
In response to your last question, I’m not sure how I would some of the
Femmes. Perhaps it would be just best to use their (modified) tag line,
“American Music: 1982 to 1998”.
Thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions. I hope that your
school project goes well for you. I’d be interested in hearing about
other people’s first experiences with the Femmes.
Steve
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RE: Come South
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The VF played two shows at the Rendon Inn (changed from Tipitinas on the
day of the first show) on December 27 and 28, 1996 in New Orleans. I
know because that was my first VF concert, after having been a fan for
many years. Regardless, my friends and I didn’t have enough money after
going to the show on the 27th to attend the show on the 28th, so we hung
out around New Orleans, and wound up at Cafe du Monde over in the French
Quarter. Who did we stumble upon? Gordon Gano sitting there drinking his
coffee and eating some beignets. I went right up to him and said “Hey,
Gordon, mind if we talk with ya?” He was cool as can be, and actually
must have delayed the show that night by talking with us. It was
probably one of the best nights of my life. Regardless, I asked him why
they don’t play down south that much (I was living in Baton Rouge, LA at
the time), and he just said that they play where ever they are invited
to play. He does love New Orleans, though, and I would bet that Cafe
du Monde would be a great place to find him next time he’s in town. My
solution to seeing more of the VFs was to move up to Chicago. :> I’ve
seen them about 5 more times, each show exceeding the previous.
Well, that’s bound to be the greatest story of my life, so if you’d like
me to tell it again sometime, I’d be happy to. :> In short, do what Pat
said, and have someone important in your town to plop down the money to
get them to play there.
john
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Phantom Tribute Album
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Sometime back, we went through what seemed like a month of discussion
about an alleged tribute album to gordon. If I remember correctly, it
was decided that it was a rumor, and then we all proceeded to send in
“fantasy” albums with suggested tribute artists. Anyway, I ran into
something today on the net, saying that gordon was in fact putting it
together and it would be released in 1998. The article also said that
PJ Harvey and Lou Reed would be among the artists on it. The article
was on a page called “Today’s Headlines,” edited by Carrie Borzillo.
Anyway, it was dated October 10, 1997, and I was wondering if this is
false, maybe what originally started the rumor, or if it is a
corroboration?
ANOTHER OBNOXIOUS QUESTION THAT EVERYONE IS SICK OF:
When, if ever, is the new album coming out?
Last I heard, it was to be a St. Patrick’s Day release. Any updates?
-Pat. Says: I can’t seem to shut up today. This album is supposed to
be a soundtrack for a movie that did almost nothing in the
box office. I’ll look for details to put in the next issue,
but if memory serves, it should have been put out on
Mercury records. It is produced by Gordon, and there are
no other VF members involved.
What I’d like to know is if that Clash Tribute album is
ever going to be released? Last I heard there were some
legal problems, but that was months ago. My last email to
that record company went unanswered. Let me try again.
New album…I think the Official Homepage now expects a
March release, so St. Paddy’s may not be too far off.
Fiddlydiddlydieddlydee. I can hardly wait..three of my
favorite bands should all be releasing in March o happy
month.
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Max Dunn
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Does anyone know of any titles or where I can get ahold of some Max Dunn
Poetry? For those ROCK!-less ones out there, Max Dunn wrote a poem
called “I danced Before I had two feet” which VF turned into the rockin’
“I Danced” on ROCK! Any and all information is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Jason
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